You Are My Dear One

March 26, 2015

You Are My Dear One

“Because I love Zion, I will not keep still. Because my heart yearns for Jerusalem, I cannot remain silent. I will not stop praying for her until her righteousness shines like the dawn, and her salvation blazes like a burning torch. The nations will see your righteousness. World leaders will be blinded by your glory. And you will be given a new name by the Lord’s own mouth.”

Isaiah 62:1-2

The prophet Isaiah said that when we receive God’s redeeming love we “shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give” (Isaiah 62:2b NRSV). I remember reading that scripture several decades ago and wondering if God really does give us a new name. One morning as I sat in the quietness of my study, I dared to ask God to tell me my new name. The response stunned me, and I sat silently for over an hour contemplating the wonder of what I heard the Lord say to me.

My encounter with Abba came just a few years after I had come face to face with the root cause of my almost total lack of self-esteem; I hated myself. My shame-based self-hate was the result of childhood abuse, both physical and emotional. I know my parents loved me and wanted the best for me, but they had their own baggage. The result was that my home life was steeped in performance-based-acceptance and I never quite measured up. The most common term of endearment I received was to be called idjit, which means less than nothing. Against this backdrop, on that quiet morning in my study I heard my Abba say to me, “You are my Dear One.”

I went from less than nothing, to more than anything, as Abba named me His Dear One. To be dear to the heart of God was almost incomprehensible to me, but after my hour of quiet contemplation, I purposed in my heart to make a leap of faith and embrace my new name as the authentic me. Allowing myself to be loved and esteemed by God has been the source of my inner healing and my personal realization of the promise of scripture: “anyone who belongs to Christ as become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Perhaps you want to sit quietly and listen for God to speak into your heart and soul the wonders of His love for you. You may also want to take time and ponder again who you know that does not yet know their new name. Your love and acceptance of them will be used by God to help them embrace Abba’s love. Just imagine that one day they too will rejoice as the new creation of God’s love.

I will change your name

You shall no longer be called

Wounded, outcast, lonely or afraid

I will change your name

Your new name shall be

Confidence, joyfulness, overcoming one

Faithfulness, friend of God

One who seeks My face

I Will Change Your Name

(D.J. Butler) 1987 Mercy Publishing.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms is available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ  is available as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.